CHTA continues fight to ease UK tax barriers
CHTA pleased with response by UK officials, works with CTO to battle unfair taxes.
CORAL GABLES, Florida, Thursday, March 24, 2011 - The recognition of the anomaly in the Air Passenger Duty band system and the consultation on reforming APD that was announced by the UK Government is welcomed by the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association. The fact that the UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer referred to the Caribbean in his budget statement, and that the consultation document refers on several occasions to the Caribbean, is testament to the ongoing success of the advocacy campaign being led by the Caribbean Tourism Organization on this issue.
Josef Forstmayr, President of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association said: "The CHTA hopes that the consultation will allow the discriminatory aspect of the distance band system to be addressed, however we share the concerns of our industry partners about the high level of the tax, which threatens the sustainability and growth of the vital tourism industry. The increasing tendency to introduce aviation taxes is of grave concern to us.
"We were pleased to see that in the opening statement of the APD consultation document, Justine Greening MP, the Minister in HM Treasury responsible for aviation taxation, stated that 'private sector led growth is the key to future prosperity.' As representatives of the private sector, the CHTA will continue to contribute to policy making which impacts upon Caribbean tourism and we look forward to working with the CTO and our UK industry partners in developing the Caribbean's response to the APD proposals."
About The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association
The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) facilitates the full potential of the Caribbean hotel and tourism industry by serving members' needs and building partnerships in a socially responsible and sustainable manner. CHTA was founded in 1962; it is the voice of the Caribbean hospitality industry for the development of the region in the highly competitive and sophisticated environment of international tourism. Today, tourism is widely recognized as a pivotal industry in the economy of the region - and CHTA functions as the common denominator for this industry in a region of diverse nationalities, languages and styles, identifying mutual problems and marshalling the resources of the active and allied members to devise solutions. CHTA represents all facets of the hospitality industry with more than 725 member hotels and 525 allied members.
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